Formation dilemmas: D66 not keen on coalition with ChristenUnie

Efforts to find another potential coalition government will continue to Thursday now Edith Schippers has been appointed chief negotiator for a second time.

It is still unclear which parties are likely to take part. D66 leader Alexander Pechtold told Schippers on Wednesday he regards an alliance with the small Christian party ChristenUnie as ‘undesirable’.

A coalition between D66, the VVD, Christian Democrats and ChristenUnie would be unstable (with a majority of just one in both houses of parliament) and ChristenUnie would not bridge the gap between left and right, Pechtold said.

He also said that he has major disagreements with the party on ethical issues such as euthanasia and the ‘completed life’ dilemma.

Pechtold said he is willing to talk to the Socialists and Labour party. However, SP leader Emile Roemer has made it clear he will not join a coalition with the VVD. At the same time, Labour leader Lodewijk Asscher says his party, which was hammered in the March 15 election, should remain in opposition.

Both the CDA and VVD say they are happy to talk to ChristenUnie, the SP and Labour party.

Schippers will hold talks with the leaders of the other parties on Thursday.

GroenLinks

Meanwhile, GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver had a meeting with supporters on Wednesday evening to discuss the collapse of the negotiations on Monday.

Klaver declined to give too much away but did reiterate the party’s commitment to ‘not sending people who have fled from war zones away’. Klaver said during the talks he had argued for improvements in asylum policy.

‘There are boundaries which, as a party, you don’t wish to cross,’ he said, adding that he had been willing to make concessions and had been keen to form part of the government.